Help. how do I select DS driving mode?

[jmissile]

How do I get it to display DS? It only let's me use manual gear selecting only when I push lever to the left side +/- side and displays "M" with the gear I'm in next to it on the dash cluster. It's almost like my car doesn't have DS mode but then today randomly while in manual shift mode it went to DS on the display on its own seemingly. It was the first time after owning my car for a year I've seen this on the display and I enjoyed how the car drove so much I didn't want to it to go away lol. While in this mode the paddles were unresponsive as well as the shift lever, the car just "knew" how to drive very sporty. I've seen how it's selected on other infiniti cars but no matter what I do I can't access it again.Am I missing something? 2011 m56S

[ArmedAviator]

Assuming no difference between 2011 and 2012 MYs, there's a knob on the center console between the seat heater/cooler knobs with the following options:
Snow
Eco
Standard (a dot)
Sport

Select Sport and enjoy.

AFAIK, it will never show M or DS as a shift selection, just the numerical gear commanded when shifting manually.

[jmissile]

Lol I'm aware of the drive selector knob it rarely ever gets taken out of sport mode. When I have it in auto it always displays drive in between the tach and speedo unless I override it using the paddles then it displays "M" with a numeral beside it depending on the gear I changed it to with the paddles, then after driving without manually shifting it with the paddles for moment it goes back to "D" on the display automatically. Today when I had the gear selector in the manual mode for a little i looked down and it had"DS" instead of M with a gear number beside it and I was like wtf is this I've never seen this before ever? And at this point the paddles nor the stick would change the gear i was in.Only after putting the stick back to auto did the "DS" change back to regular "D". And then no matter what I tried I couldn't get the "DS" to come back on the display I know the g37 ' s display DS when in sport mode all the time because the g37s won't indicate the gear you're in but on the M ' s they do show u the gear, but I swear it had DS on my display today and the stick was in manual mode.

[DredM56]

The g does show you what gear you're in when in manual mode. Would be kind of dumb if it didn't what are supposed to do guess what gear you're in. It also shows ds when in sport mode. The g has no dial though putting the stick to the left activates sport mode or DS. Only goes manual after actually moving it up or down. Or using the paddles kicks into manual with it in regular drive.

So far in the M it says the drive mode your in when you start it or switch modes. It only says d or m no ds that I have seen. I haven't tried it in sport mode with the stick in manual position

[jmissile]

http://imgur.com/QGBcKhJ here's proof , definately not in the owners manual anywhere

[ArmedAviator]

http://imgur.com/QGBcKhJ here's proof , definately not in the owners manual anywhere

And the plot thickens.

I have no idea how or why you got DS to show up. If you do find out exactly how to always reproduce it, please update us.

[Ilya]

Yeah I'm in Sport + M mode 90% of the time and in 2 years of owning my M I've never seen DS anywhere on the cluster. Interesting.

[agoodall]

I have had "DS" pop up usually in parking lots when going from "R" to "M" to quickly. I thought it meant Down Shift on the our cars...because thats usually what I have to do to get it out of "DS"

edit: No clue how to replicate "DS"

[jmissile]

Yeah I'm in Sport + M mode 90% of the time and in 2 years of owning my M I've never seen DS anywhere on the cluster. Interesting.

Me too sounds like we have similar driving habits lol. When we figure this out, and we will, lm sure you'll be using DS mode 100% of the time! Im hellbent on finding out how to unlock this secret mode. Tbc....

[Debonair]

I am intrigued.

Here is what the service manual says:

DS mode must be indicated on the combination meter when the selector lever is shifted to the manual shift gate. When the selector lever is shifted to the “+” or “−” side in the DS mode, manual mode should be indicated on the combination meter.
In addition, a set shift position must be changed when the selector lever is shifted to the “+” or “−” side in the manual mode. (Only while driving.)

I am going to play with the shifter next time I'm in the car.

[Ilya]

Are we sure this isn't for newer M's? Like the 14+? Cause I've definitely just slid my shifter into M without doing +/- and it DEFINITELY still said M.

[ArmedAviator]

Whenever I skids the shifter to the"manual" side, it just indicates the numerical gear it's currently in, or if it's above 5th gear, it will indicate 5 and downshift to 5. I've never had DS.

[nebojsa_o]

I'm guessing it isn't newer M's only because he seems to have a 2011 M56S according to the profile thing. Maybe a special way to activate, only available on S models? Or only one the early M?

[Frog]

I have an 11 m56s. Never seen that mode

[Debonair]

Based on Jmissile's initial description it sounds like it coming up is a glitch; It pops up randomly and disables the paddle shifters. The feature itself seems like it is intended for cars that do not have the Drive mode select switch.

Jmissile - does the Drive mode select switch still work when DS is displayed?

[16q70l]

I have been keeping a close eye on my shift position indicator. Switching from manual to automatic and have yet to see this message. Just numbers of what gear or d,r etc. I have a 2016.

[jmissile]

I did not try adjusting the mode switch while DS was on. I thought it might be a glitch as well. I did have the timing chain recall done a little over a month ago and it's seen a fair amount of use since then so I'm wondering if the dealer reflashed the ecu or transmission and somehow added the feature just unaware of how to engage it. One more thing was when it came on I want to say there was a single beep like you would here upon trying to upshift into a gear the car won't let you when you are going to slow for it. As well as being in 4th gear in manual mode for possibly a good few (displaying M4)minutes then coming to a stop to make a right turn, then I want to say it came on while accelerating away from theintersection from said stop, just not sure the exact gear I was in or how I accelerated and shifted when it came on. But I know the stick was to the left when it engaged... hopefully the dealership can shed some light next week on the subject but I'm still hoping it's not a glitch and that we're on to figuring out a new sport mode hack since I know certain steps are followed to access things like launch control on m3's, mustangs,ferrari, etc

[DredM56]

I'm not really understanding everyone's fascination with this. It's pretty clearly a glitch. DS just means drive sport it's not going to be anything different than turning the dial to sport mode. It sounds to me like you were in manual mode accelerated hard the car had a weird glitch and disabled manual mode thus displaying DS. Next time you get it to do it try to shift while it says it.

Debonair's description is the description for the G. The M goes right into manual mode with the stick to the left you don't need to move it to plus or minus first. The G though doesn't go right into manual mode it says DS and stays auto until you move the stick then it goes to manual. The Q50 is just like the M now it goes right into manual because it has the switch/dial to change drive modes.

[jmissile]

I'm not really understanding everyone's fascination with this. It's pretty clearly a glitch. DS just means drive sport it's not going to be anything different than turning the dial to sport mode. It sounds to me like you were in manual mode accelerated hard the car had a weird glitch and disabled manual mode thus displaying DS. Next time you get it to do it try to shift while it says it.

Debonair's description is the description for the G. The M goes right into manual mode with the stick to the left you don't need to move it to plus or minus first. The G though doesn't go right into manual mode it says DS and stays auto until you move the stick then it goes to manual. The Q50 is just like the M now it goes right into manual because it has the switch/dial to change drive modes.

Well I got it to come on again tonight accidently. Still might be a glitch. Shifting doesn't work with the paddles or shifter when it's on. I even circled back to see if i could repeat how I got DS to come but no luck. once you take it out of manual it goes back to D. Both times it happened it came on after I was engine braking in sport manual mode without using the brake pedal approaching intersections at about 50mph in 4th, downshifting to 3rd, and then to 2nd except one time I stopped and let the car downshift to 1st automatically, and the other time I went from 2nd back up to 3rd and drove at a constant speed for a few seconds at least and then stopped at a stop sign allowing the car to downshift automatically. Except the second time I couldn't tell if it was downshifting automatically in DS mode or it was still indicating M. Once I started to leave the stop sign is when I noticed DS was on and there was no beep when it turned on.changing the drive selector knob didn't affect anything while it was active either. There are a couple noticeable differences between regular sport mode and ds. Seems like it holds the gear you are in longer which is great in the corners or on a track, and the lazy confused symptom when downshifting to pass someone is gone and is way more precise where I barely press the accelerator to kick down a gear. Lately I've just been manually downshifting to 3rd to get the job done since I really have to mash the gas to get it to shift into 3rd it seems, the transmission in this car is so unpredictable.

[Debonair]

I wonder if unplugging the drive mode selector would set the transmission to a default setting and allow the DS mode to be accessed like vehicles without the drive knob.

And yeah if the paddles and knob stop working when DS comes up it's a glitch.

[Ilya]

I'm not really understanding everyone's fascination with this. It's pretty clearly a glitch. DS just means drive sport it's not going to be anything different than turning the dial to sport mode. It sounds to me like you were in manual mode accelerated hard the car had a weird glitch and disabled manual mode thus displaying DS. Next time you get it to do it try to shift while it says it.

Debonair's description is the description for the G. The M goes right into manual mode with the stick to the left you don't need to move it to plus or minus first. The G though doesn't go right into manual mode it says DS and stays auto until you move the stick then it goes to manual. The Q50 is just like the M now it goes right into manual because it has the switch/dial to change drive modes.

Eh, I disagree.

Sport mode on the M isn't that much different than the regular mode...at least on my M56. Now, DS on a G37 is a literally almost day and night from the regular mode (loaners I've been given). The thing grows a pair almost instantly.

[DredM56]

You're comparing two different cars though. The sport mode isn't as aggressive in the M as the G. But you also got to think the g has no torque so it has to hold the rpm higher to feel sportier. The M has tons of torque down low so it doesn't need to keep the revs up to still have power.

If you're driving in manual mode then it doesn't matter you shift whenever you want. From his last post it definitely is a glitch. He was locked out of manual mode when it did it.

[ArmedAviator]

You're comparing two different cars though. The sport mode isn't as aggressive in the M as the G. But you also got to think the g has no torque so it has to hold the rpm higher to feel sportier. The M has tons of torque down low so it doesn't need to keep the revs up to still have power.

If you're driving in manual mode then it doesn't matter you shift whenever you want. From his last post it definitely is a glitch. He was locked out of manual mode when it did it.

Literally, what?!

The M37 has same torque curve as G37....not far off from G35. It's just a heavier car and not as nimble. I notice a difference between normal and sport modes in my M37. Not sure how the M56 responds.

[DredM56]

Clearly I'm talking about 56 when I said M. Obviously the M37 and G37 have the same torque curve. I couldn't imagine how crappy the M37 feels down low.

[Ilya]

Perhaps my point was not understood?

The M56x in Standard behaves almost ENTIRELY the same as the M56x in Sport. The only difference is that you get downshift assistance in aggressive driving (such as back roads). There is no discernible 'extra power' on take off, shifts don't seem any different, etc. Just the rev-matching feature, if you will. There is no major or discernible shift in the cars character, IMO.

On the G, that is NOT the case. A G in standard is...eh. A G in DS is actually quite impressive for how it drives. The characteristic of the car CLEARLY changes.

DS just means drive sport it's not going to be anything different than turning the dial to sport mode.

Thus, this is the particular part of the post I disagree with.

On the M (at least the M56x I have with UpRev and HPS intake hoses)...Sport, Standard doesn't matter...car is virtually the same. Only added 'benefit' of sport mode is maybe the rev-matching/downshifting feature.

On the G...Standard vs Sport (DS - even if letting the car control the mode and not going into full manual by moving the shifter yourself up or down to get into a gear) is a significant difference. This is based on the multiple G's I've had as loaners (G25 and G37). I now usually ask for the 2015 Q70 3.7 they have...but I used to get their two silver G's before.

[jmissile]

Unplugged the mode selector switch and then took it for a spin. Boring. I think it just drives in standard mode by the way it drives and steers. Ilya, In sport mode it also tightens up the steering ratio too besides the Rev matching. I could be wrong but i also feel like it revs out higher in sport auto mode to keep the engine in the power band between upshifts, but I'm not tuned either so idk. It happened again today when i was trying to pass someone, I gave it enough throttle in auto to downshift to 3rd then let off immediately because someone blocked me it went up to fourth but I had moved the stick over to manual almost the same instant it auto shifted up to fourth. DS came on at that moment sort of like I confused it because it was in the middle of shifting when I pushed the stick over. Shifts magnificently on its own tho, downshifts to 3rd when u brake hard enough and even decelerates more quickly noticeably through every gear when coasting so your immediately in power band when u hit the gas rather then going to a neutral state after releasing the throttle for a few seconds and then choosing too high a gear when getting back on the throttle. When coming to a regular stop in sport auto it downshifts so slowly on its own when using light to moderate braking, i usually overide it with the paddles because of the lag in the cars downshifting. In DS it's definately another story,it Rev matches automatically all the way down under soft a d hard breaking condition so it optimizes the rpm to keep it in the power band it's sweet and would be way better on back roads than the regular sport imo. It's gotta be a glitch I'm still thinking because repeating what happened today didn't work.
DS and D is day and night difference primarily how and when the car shifts. Doesn't pull any harder. I've driven the Q50 and other gs with DS and the performance advantage of DS is almost identical in the M.

[DredM56]

Perhaps my point was not understood?

The M56x in Standard behaves almost ENTIRELY the same as the M56x in Sport. The only difference is that you get downshift assistance in aggressive driving (such as back roads). There is no discernible 'extra power' on take off, shifts don't seem any different, etc. Just the rev-matching feature, if you will. There is no major or discernible shift in the cars character, IMO.

On the G, that is NOT the case. A G in standard is...eh. A G in DS is actually quite impressive for how it drives. The characteristic of the car CLEARLY changes.

DS just means drive sport it's not going to be anything different than turning the dial to sport mode.

Thus, this is the particular part of the post I disagree with.

On the M (at least the M56x I have with UpRev and HPS intake hoses)...Sport, Standard doesn't matter...car is virtually the same. Only added 'benefit' of sport mode is maybe the rev-matching/downshifting feature.

On the G...Standard vs Sport (DS - even if letting the car control the mode and not going into full manual by moving the shifter yourself up or down to get into a gear) is a significant difference. This is based on the multiple G's I've had as loaners (G25 and G37). I now usually ask for the 2015 Q70 3.7 they have...but I used to get their two silver G's before.

Idk I think you are imagining things. I had a G37XS before the M and can guarantee you there is no power increase what so ever from standard to DS. It only affects throttle sensitivity and the way it shifts and holds gears. I've done passes back to back from D to DS and it runs exactly the same. I would usually run it in DS just because I'm bracket racing so if I do got to let off then jump back on it I wanted the gear to hold.

You are relying on feel which is not accurate. I'm running the 1/4 mile 15 passes in a day sometimes and tried many different ways to run it and there is no difference in what it runs from D to DS with same launching technique within thousandths of a second. In regular drive put it to the floor and it runs right to redline same as DS.

Beyond that you can log the car in both modes and you will see it's the exact same tune the timing doesn't change at all.

[Ilya]

Who said anything about power increase? I'm referring to the same throttle sensitivity and transmission performance. The G clearly has that stuff change between modes while the M does not.

Regardless, on the M (which we all drive) it's virtually mute and we're arguing semantics. Moving along...

[Debonair]

Unplugged the mode selector switch and then took it for a spin. Boring. I think it just drives in standard mode by the way it drives and steers.

Even when the shifter was moved into the manual position?

Props for trying it. That's the only way I could think of manually inducing it.

[jmissile]

Unplugged the mode selector switch and then took it for a spin. Boring. I think it just drives in standard mode by the way it drives and steers.

Even when the shifter was moved into the manual position?

Props for trying it. That's the only way I could think of manually inducing it.

It would let u shift manually with the stick and paddles but no difference in how it drove as far as mode goes